Popverse's coverage of Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026 is brought to you by Dark Horse Comics.

All along, Avengers: Doomsday has felt like Marvel Studios trying to get the band back together. With the recasting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom and bringing back the Russo Brothers to direct, we’re waiting for the big Avengers: Endgame reunion. So much so that Marvel is rereleasing Endgame in cinemas in the run-up to Doomsday with a bit of new footage that is retconning some events to set-up Doomsday, and now we might know what that includes.

During their highly-anticipated Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Marvel Studios treated fans to a new trailer for what is being called Avengers: Endgame Encore. This is a rerelease of the previously highest-grossing film of all time with new footage to help tie it in to Avengers: Doomsday. We still don’t know exactly what that footage is (or how it explains the fact that Doctor Doom is running around with Tony Stark’s face), but the trailer has one important line that may give us a clue.

“You mess with time, it tends to mess back,” Iron Man says in the new trailer, which includes audience reaction to the first release of Avengers: Endgame. That movie, of course, featured the Time Heist that sent Avengers to various points in MCU history, including previous movies. It has always been expected that playing with time would have unintended consequences, which is something that The Ancient One warned the Avengers about. Perhaps this line is the hint at those consequences.

Avengers: Endgame Encore is coming on September 25, 2026, just a few months before Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas. How is time messing back? We’ll find out then.

Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

• How to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release or chronological order
• The best Marvel Comics stories of all time
• All the MCU movies ranked from best to worst